Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant Research: The molecular Evolution of the Serotonin System in Rhesus Macaques

5-羟色胺是一种能显著影响攻击性和冲动性行为的激素，许多精神病药物通过靶向5-羟色胺通路的成分起作用。此外，影响血清素调节的几种遗传变异与各种行为条件有关，如酗酒和反社会主义。 由于血清素和行为之间的联系，对其进化的研究可能会深入了解进化如何在分子水平上塑造行为。本计画探讨猕猴血清素系统的演化历史。 在这项研究中，与5-羟色胺功能相关的基因在恒河猴样本中进行了测序，以及在其他10种猕猴和一只长尾猴（Chlorocebus aethiops）中进行了测序。 设计用于检测和区分多个进化力的测试应用于序列数据。 通过这种方式，可以推断出最有可能塑造5-羟色胺系统的进化力量的类型。这项研究的结果将加深对行为进化生物学基础的理解。 它融合了来自广泛领域的知识，并将其汇集在一起，以一种新颖的方式研究行为的演变。 此外，在这项研究中使用的方法将提供猕猴物种内发现的遗传变异的详细描述，并将建立在最近出版的恒河猴基因组提供的知识。在更广泛的影响方面，这是一个博士论文项目，将完成一个女西班牙裔研究生的培训。 这项研究也具有生物医学意义，因为猕猴是研究精神疾病及其治疗的常见模型。 最后，有一些证据表明，恒河猴和人类的血清素系统是平行进化的。 未来人类和猕猴之间的比较研究可能会突出影响行为进化的重要因素。

Serotonin is a hormone that significantly influences aggressive and impulsive behaviors and many psychiatric drugs work by targeting components of the serotonin pathway. Moreover, several genetic variants that affect serotonin regulation have been linked to a variety of behavioral conditions, such as alcoholism and antisocialism. Because of the association between serotonin and behavior, the study of its evolution may grant insight into how evolution acts on a molecular level to shape behavior. This project examines the evolutionary history of the serotonin system in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). In this study, genes related to serotonin functioning are sequenced in a sample of rhesus macaques, as well as in ten other macaque species and a vervet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops). Tests designed to detect and distinguish multiple evolutionary forces are applied to the sequence data. In this manner, the types of evolutionary forces most likely to have shaped the serotonin system can be inferred.The results of this study will deepen understanding of the biological basis of behavioral evolution. It incorporates knowledge from a wide range of fields and brings it together to study the evolution of behavior in a novel way. In addition, the methods used in this study will provide detailed description of the genetic variation found within macaque species and will build on knowledge provided by the recent publication of the rhesus macaque genome.In terms of broader impacts, this is a doctoral dissertation project that will complete the training of a female Hispanic graduate student. This research also has biomedical implications, as macaques are a common model used in studies of psychiatric conditions and their treatment. Finally, there is some evidence of parallel evolution in the serotonin system of both rhesus macaques and humans. Future comparative studies between humans and macaques may highlight important factors that influence behavioral evolution.